Manchester United approach for Raheem Sterling immediately rejected by Liverpool

Manchester United have reportedly made a shock enquiry for Liverpool's wantaway star Raheem Sterling.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Louis van Gaal has decided to ignore the history of rivalry between the two clubs and is trying to sign the England international, who has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield in the summer.

Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea have already been linked with summer moves for the former Queens Park Rangers youth player after he rejected a £100,000-a-week offer from the Merseyside club earlier in the season.

But United's entry into the race is shocking considering the enormity of their rivalry, which has seen no player move directly between the two clubs since Phil Chisnall moved to Anfield from Old Trafford in 1964.

Recent reports suggested that Sterling had informed the club about wanting to leave in the summer, but his agent immediately stated that the reports were blown out of proportion. But, this report claims that the winger's agent will talk to Brendan Rodgers and Ian Ayre regarding the Red Devils' approach when they meet on 22 May.

However, according to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds have outrightly rejected United's approach for their star player, and will not entertain any bids from interested clubs.

The Northern Irishman has made it clear that Sterling will not be sold even if he fails to commit to a new deal in the summer, as the player still has two years remaining on his current deal.

"We've made that clear from the beginning and the owners are very much supportive of that. Raheem won't be going anywhere this summer, even if there's not a deal agreed," Rodgers said.

The Premier League clubs are not the only interested parties, as various top sides from Europe like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have also shown keenness in signing the Liverpool attacker.